Its all about the foam. Espresso-based drinks topped with foam and/or whipped cream have become ubiquitous of late. Espresso drinkers enjoy the foam topping which results from steaming milk prior to adding it to the espresso coffee. The resulting top layer of foam adds texture and richness for the consumer. The foam also filters the steam rising from the coffee, enhancing the coffee aroma—which also enhances the beverage flavor, as olfactory stimulation has significant impact on taste. Oftentimes, espresso drinks are topped with a dollop of whipped cream as well, which also enhances the experience by turning a simple espresso or mocha into a full-fledged dessert.
Baristas take pride in their ability to lay over just the right amount of foam to enhance the drink experience and frequently manipulate the foam layer to create visual artistry. For some baristas, their visual foam designs have become akin to their signatures on consumable works of art. Making and drinking espresso has become almost a ritual for many espresso aficionados, and the foam is an important element of the overall experience.
Traditionally, espresso drinks are served in an open-topped cup which allows the drinker to take in foam and/or whipped cream with the liquid coffee portion to regulate the temperature and richness as she wishes, and which also stimulates the olfactory senses as she sips, because her nose is right over the drink. Frequently, however, beverages are purchased “to go” such that the vendor is obligated to place a disposable beverage lid onto the beverage cup to prevent spillage.
Unfortunately, conventional beverage lids tend to prevent the espresso drinker from drawing both coffee and foam (or whipped cream) at the same time. The placement and shape of the drink holes allow the liquid coffee portion through, but block the foam and/or whipped cream. The drinker ends up ingesting a solid stream of hot liquid into their mouth, denied the relative cooling effect of drinking a mixture of liquid and foam. In addition the espresso drinker, denied the rich texture of the foam and/or whipped cream during consumption, removes the lid when finished to find substantial quantities of rich foam remaining and wonders what it was all for.
Conventional beverage lids also tend to block the nose from getting a proper whiff of the wonderful coffee aroma, although that rich aroma is often what drew people to start drinking coffee in the first place. Again, the espresso drinker's experience is limited and she may wonder why she has paid so dearly for a halfway experience.
Thus, there is a need for a beverage lid designed for use with foam-topped beverages which permits a drinker to consume the foam topping concurrently with the liquid portion of the beverage, and which links the olfactory senses to the drinking experience.